


Princess Winter

by orphan_account



Category: Frozen (2013), Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-09-30
Packaged: 2019-07-20 14:39:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16139333
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Disclaimer: I DO NOT own “Frozen” or “Rise of the Guardians.”





	Princess Winter

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The Heart of Winter](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1702925) by [iL0Vsuperman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/iL0Vsuperman/pseuds/iL0Vsuperman). 



> Disclaimer: I DO NOT own “Frozen” or “Rise of the Guardians.”

Winter leaned forward in her horse’s saddle and stood up just a little bit, urging the animal to go faster. She wondered if Olaf kept her secret and didn’t tell anyone that she snuck out again. It had been snowing pretty hard the past week and she had been _dying_ to get out of the castle for even a few hours.

     Unfortunately, she had lost track of time and she prayed that she wouldn’t be late for the ball. Hopefully, she could get in and sneak back into her room and get ready without anyone noticing that she had been gone.

     Finally, she rode into the castle stables and handed the reigns to a boy who she knew wouldn’t snitch on her. She slipped into the door...only to find her mother kneeling in front of Olaf. Winter frowned when she saw the guilty expression on the little snowman’s face. _Traitor_.

     Queen Elsa stood up and studied her daughter, the future Queen of Arendelle. Although, at the moment, she didn’t look like a princess.

     Her silvery complexion was slightly flushed with a layer of sweat, despite the chilled weather outside. Her waist-length white hair was a wind-blown, tangled mess, and she was wearing worn peasant clothing and scuffed boots.

     “Hi, Mom,” she said with a weak smile, “Val had been cooped up in the stables all week, so I decided to take her out for a while. We didn’t get into any trouble, I swear.”

     Elsa rolled her eyes and chuckled.

     “Let’s just get you cleaned up before the ball,” she responded, “it _is_ for your eighteenth birthday, after all. But, as punishment for sneaking out, I’ll have Ellen help you get ready.”

     Winter groaned.

 

Ellen had been Winter’s governess as she was growing up. However, Winter didn’t like how she was with children. Ellen was religiously prim and proper, and she made it her mission to tame the wild-spirited Crown Princess.

     As the old woman entered Winter’s room, she glanced over her and let out and annoyed huff.

     “Out getting into mischief again, I see.”

     “ _No._ I only rode my horse around the kingdom, that’s all,” Winter protested, but Ellen was already dragging her to her dressing table to comb out her unruly hair.

     “Honestly, child,” Ellen began, and Winter rolled her eyes. She had heard the upcoming speech every single day since she turned thirteen, and she sarcastically mouthed along, “you cannot be the most beautiful girl in Arendelle if you keep running about like a reckless barbarian.”

     “I don’t care about being beautiful,” Winter grumbled.

     “You should at least care about being a proper _queen_ ,” Ellen snapped.

     Winter sighed and tried to slouch in the chair, but Ellen forced her to sit with her back straight.

     “Besides,” Ellen continued, “If you don’t try to look your best, how do you expect to marry a good man?”

     That was another thing that Ellen was fond of saying, especially since that Italian artist came to paint her portrait that past summer. Winter had to suffer for hours as the painter went on and on about her “hair like a frozen waterfall,” or “skin that gleams like polished white gold,” or “full lips like pink rose petals,” or “even the most perfect sapphires in the world cannot compete with your vibrant blue eyes!”

     She’d wanted to snap at him, _Yeah, yeah, I’m beautiful! I get it! Can you_ please _talk about something else?!_

It wasn’t that she was vain; much the opposite. It was just that people had been complementing her looks for as long as she could remember. Quite frankly, she was sick and tired of it. She could do so much more than just sit around and look pretty. She was an expert horsewoman, especially on Val, her grey mare with white speckles. She was fluent in several languages, including Latin. And, despite what Ellen thought, she _did_ take her role as heir seriously, and she had a keen understanding of things like trade and politics.

     But what did everyone see when they looked at her? A pretty face with a penchant for getting in trouble. At least her mother, cousins, aunt and uncle didn’t judge her by her looks. That would’ve been too much.

     “Come along, child,” Ellen said when she finished working the tangles out of her hair. “We need to get you into the bath; you smell like a horse.”

 

Even though Ellen was an uppity killjoy, she always managed to get Winter looking like the royal she was. She had twisted Winter’s hair into two French braids on either side of her head, meeting in the back before letting the remaining hair cascade down her back in a wavy ponytail. After Ellen left, Winter flicked her wrist and an ice dress materialized on her body.

     A knock sounded at the door and her mother entered, carrying a small box. She paused when she saw Winter.

     “Is that my little snow angel?” She asked, tears welling in her eyes. How did her child grow up so fast?

     Winter smiled at her childhood nickname. “Yeah, it’s me. How do you like my dress?”

     Elsa scanned the gown. It was midnight blue, woven with silver, and it had three-quarter sleeves and a wide v-neckline. Her daughter was becoming more skilled with her powers every day.

     “It’s beautiful, and it goes perfectly with what I have for you.” Elsa smiled and held out the box she was carrying. “Happy birthday, Winter.”

     Winter opened the box and gasped at the necklace. It looked to be made of silver with diamonds and sapphires, but when she picked it up, the unusual cold that came with it told her it was ice. And her mother was right, the draping silver and jewels matched her dress.

     As Winter turned toward her mirror and posed dramatically, Elsa’s eyes brimmed with new tears for all new reasons. Winter had not only inherited her father’s looks, but also his playfulness and mischievous nature. For Elsa, it was a painful, bittersweet reality.

     “Mom?”

     Elsa blinked and found Winter studying her, clearly concerned.

     “What’s wrong?”

     Elsa shook her head. “It’s nothing, Winter. I’m just so, very proud of you.”

     To Winter, her mother’s approval meant more to her than ten crowns. She beamed as she threw her arms around her.

     “Thanks, Mom. I love you.”

     “I love you, too, my snow angel.” Elsa kissed her daughter’s head. “Now, let’s not keep our guests waiting.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good so far? I’m not exactly sure where I’m going with this yet, but I’ll think of something.  
> There is another “Princess Winter” in “The Lunar Chronicles” by Marissa Meyer (which is an excellent series, by the way). I felt that was important to note.


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